Envelope



July 17, 1923. I 1.461127 N. H. DEUBENE R" ENVELOPE Filed March 19 1920 Patented July 17, 1923.

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Application filed. March 19, 1920; Serial No. 367,129.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER DnUnnNnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Envelopes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an envelope designed with a locking closureto obviate the necessity of adhesive for sealingthe same and to provide an envelope of simple, n expensive design. j The closing and locking flap of the en velope is formed with a locking means which engages in slots designed to receive the same, while suitable recesses form notch engagements for the locking means tohold the flap in looked closed position.

A further object of the invention is in' roviding a tongue positioned between the ocking means on the closing flap to form a key to prevent the locking means of the closing flap from unlocking until the key or tongue is released from a slot formed back of the envelope when the closing flap is in locked closed position.

The closing flap is also provided wlth a finger engaging tongue formed in the body portion of the same which can be engaged to unlock the closing flap without the necessity of tearing the envelope.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of the application:

Figure 1 is an elevation of the envelope closed. v

Figure 2 illustrates a portion of the envelope with the closing fiap in open position.

Figure 3 illustrates a portion of the envelope, showing the closure flap in closed position with a locking key tongue formed therewith.

The drawings illustrate the envelope A from the rear side of the same, which is formed with flaps 10 and 11 and a short flap 12 along the bottom edge of the same projecting from the body or front portion 13 of the envelope. The flaps 10 and 11 in this construction of envelope constitute the main portion of the back and fold over each other with a narrow margin along the longitudinal center of the envelope, the overlapping portions being pasted together while the flap 12 is folded over and pasted to the flaps 10 and 11 to close one end of the envelope.

"The open end .of the envelope is closed by the closure flap 14,.which isformed with locking tongues 15 on either side of the same, equally disposed from each other from the longitudinal center of the flap and envelope atfthe ends of the straight, transversely extending edge .16, which extends approximately parallel to the score line 17, upon which the flap 14 hinges. The looking tongues 15 have a circular outer shape and 'are provided with a deep recess or notch 18 on one side between the body of the flap and the tongue 15. Slots 19 are formed in the portions 10 and 11 to receive the tongues 15 and the slots are so positioned astocause the recesses 18 of the tongues to be drawn toward and in close proximity to one end of the slots when the closing flap 14- is in looking position after the tongues are inserted in the slots, as illustrated in Figure l.

A finger engagingtOngueQO is formed in the body portion of the closure flap 1 1. This tongue 20 is cut in the body portion of the closure 14 and can be readily engaged by the fingers to withdraw the tongues '15 from their locking position to unlock the envelope without tearing the same The tongue can also be engaged while inserting the locking tongues 15 in position to lock velope A is of simple, inexpensive construe.

tion, requiring no more material to manufacture than is used in the ordinary envelope of this design. It is obvious that the shape anddesign of the general body per tion and flaps of the envelope can be varied to suit the occasion and requirements.

The construction of the envelope B, illustrated in Figure 3, is practically the same as the envelope A, the locking tongue 14 being formed with the locking tongues 15, recesses 18 and the engaging tongue 20. The tongues 15 engage in suitable slots 19 formed in the back 10 of the envelope, but the flap 11 is shorter than the flap 11, illustrated in the envelope A, while the flap 10 forms practically the entire back of the en velope. In this construction the closing flap 1a is formed with a projecting tongue or key 22, which engages in the transversely extending slot 23 formed in the back 10 of the envelope B. The tongue 22 projects from the transverse edge 16 and is centrally positioned between the locking tongues-15. The slot 23 is positioned in such relation to the slots 19 that when the tongues 15are engaging in the slots 19 the tongue or key 22 is adapted to force and hold the recesses 18 into close engagement with one end of the slots 19 so that the body portions of the tongues 15 are locked against disengagement from the slots 19, until the locking departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim is:

1. A11 envelope comprising a pair of members, a cover closure flap hinged to one of said members, a pair of circular locking tongues extending from the edges of one of said members, arcuate slots formed. along the perimeter of portions of said locking tongues and slots formed in said other member adapted to cooperate with said locking tongues.

2. An envelope comprising a pair of menrbers, a cover closure flap hinged to one of said members, said closure flap having an edge parallel to said hinge, circular locking. tongues issuing from the edge of said clo-' sure flap having its perimeter tangential to said parallel edge, arcuate slots of uniform width extending partially around the perimeter of said circular tongues, said slots being so positioned as to form the neck of said tongue of a width less than the diameter thereof, and cooperating slots in said other member adapted to be engaged by said locking tongues, said slots being posi tioned so as to engage said arcuate slots in:

the extreme ends thereof at the necks of said locking tongues to lock the flap in place upon the envelope.

3. An envelope comprising a pair of members,'a cover closure flap hinged to one of said members, a pair" of locking tongues positioned on the sides of said flap inwardly from the edges thereof and arcuate slots formed on said cover closure flap along the perimeters of said locking tongues, said closure flap being cut away at its corner on lines tangent with said arcuate slots and extending outwardly towards the hinge of the cover closure flap.

4. An envelope of the class described,

comprising a front body portion, side and 5. An envelope, including a body portion,

overlapping flaps forming the back of said envelope, a cover closure flap, a pair of locking tongues extending from the edges of the cover flap, slots formed in the back of said envelope for receiving said pair of tongues, a key tongue formed at the apex of said cover flap and extending outwardly beyond said locking tongues andv a. slot formed in said back adapted to receive said key tongue to hold said pair of looking tongues in locked position to close said envelope. 7

6. An envelope formed'withoverlapping back flaps, a cover flap-hinged to said envelope and adapted to overlap the back flaps when in closed position, a pair of slots formed in the back of said envelope extending parallel to each other, a slot formed in' said back interposed between said parallel slots, locking tongues and a key tongue adapted to engage in said pair of slotsv and said interposed slot, respectively, to lock said cover flap to close said envelope.

WALTER DEUBENER. 

